Browse >
Home / Local News / Issaquah, King County leaders pay tribute to late Gov. Albert Rosellini

Issaquah, King County leaders pay tribute to late Gov. Albert Rosellini

October 10, 2011

By Warren Kagarise

NEW — 5 p.m. Oct. 10, 2011

Issaquah leaders lowered flags at City Hall and other municipal buildings Monday to commemorate the death of former Gov. Albert D. Rosellini.

Rosellini, governor from 1957 to 1965, died Monday at 101. Gov. Chris Gregoire called for flags at public buildings across the state be lowered to half-staff.

Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger, King County Executive Dow Constantine and other local leaders offered tributes to the late governor.

“He was widely respected and regarded, I think, with affection amongst people,” Frisinger said. “I saw a very long and full life.”

Frisinger met Rosellini at political functions and as Democrats gathered for state conventions around the Evergreen State.

Rosellini swore Constantine into office as a state senator, and offered the county executive counsel in the ensuing years.

“His impact on Washington during a transformative period in our history cannot be underestimated. He was elected governor in 1956, helped the region step onto the world stage through the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, and drove construction of much of our major infrastructure,” Constantine said in a statement. “These were formative years for me, and I will always remember the governor fondly. Our responsibility is to preserve and renew his generation’s legacy.”

County Councilman Larry Phillips reflected on Rosellini’s accomplishments in health care and social services.

“I have great admiration for Gov. Rosellini’s many public contributions to the state of Washington over his 101 years,” he said in a statement. “As governor, he brought our major public institutions into the modern area, making lasting impacts on mental health hospitals, the University of Washington, Harborview hospital and many more.”

The tributes to Rosellini spanned the political spectrum.

“Governor Rosellini made significant contributions to our state, such as the Evergreen Point Bridge, and helping to bring the World’s Fair here in 1962,” Washington State Republican Party Chairman Kirby Wilbur said in a statement. “He recognized the need for infrastructure, especially for transportation. He was a successful businessman — providing an insight that more politicians today should have — and a wonderful family man.”